Aftermath of condos fire called 'a nightmare'

Press Photo/Rex LarsenIndian Village resident Christine Mathis looks at her fire-damaged building. She is unable to return to her second-story condominium until engineers determine whether it is safe to enter. More photos

GRAND RAPIDS -- Some of the 200 residents chased from their homes in Sunday's condominium fire will have to wait until at least Saturday before salvaging belongings, fire investigators said.

Investigators, city inspectors and structural engineers picked through the 101-unit Indian Village Condominiums on Tuesday to determine whether the building will be safe enough to allow at least some residents to return for keepsakes, clothing and furniture.

They hope at least some will be allowed to return by Saturday, but they were making no promises.

"See that piece of metal up there?" a structural engineer said, pointing to a twisted, 12-foot-long chunk dangling from the roof above a doorway. "That's what we call a widow-maker."

Meanwhile, the fire's aftermath is straining the budget of the local American Red Cross, which sent out a call for assistance.

Grand Rapids Fire Investigator Pablo Martinez compared the blaze to having 101 house fires in one night. Each unit was individually owned, with separate insurance policies and insurance adjusters.

The condominium management company also had its own insurance company and adjuster.

"It's a nightmare," Martinez said.

As inspectors worked their way inside, longtime resident Christine Mathis, 58, returned to see what was left of her home. She was visiting friends out of town on Sunday and didn't learn about the fire until Monday. She is staying with her son.

"From the outside, it looks OK," she said of her second-story home overlooking the courtyard. "What it looks like from the inside, I have no idea."

Thick ice from water sprayed by firefighters covered trees in the courtyard, a stark contrast to broken windows, charred siding and gutted third-story condos.

Mathis is anxious about her keepsakes, "the things that can't be replaced" -- baby pictures, family photos, her grandmother's music box.

The fire at the 36-year-old, three-story complex near 28th Street and Breton Avenue SE swept through the attic and destroyed much of the third floor. Many of the first- and second-floor condos were spared from flames but damaged by smoke and water.

Investigators were trying to determine whether a faulty exhaust fan in a third-story unit sparked the blaze. An electrician disabled the fan and taped the wires shortly before the fire, Martinez said.